Hurricane Irma Stripped Caribbean of so Many Trees and Leaves They Changed Color

These before and after photos of St. John island reveal the dramatic loss of vegetation the island suffered due to Hurricane Irma. Composite from NASA photos via Landsat 8 satellite

Hurricanes tear apart buildings and destroy human lives, so naturally, people focus on the impact on populated areas.

But there is an ecological toll to these devastating storms that sometimes gets overlooked. Hurricane Irma stripped the Caribbean of an entire color, turning lush green landscapes into dreary brown. 

On the ground, it is easy to see the damage to foliage Hurricane Irma brought to Philipsburg, St. Maarten, stripping this entire area of its leaves, in this after photo taken on Sept.11, 2017. Jose Jimenez/Getty Images